All across Minnesota, successful partnerships have been established between MnSCU institutions and area businesses. Demand for such partnerships is exploding and MnSCU seeks to respond with a targeted program aimed at creating high skilled, high wage permanent career opportunities. The purpose of the grants is to create customized high skill, high wage training programs and align educational programs with immediate local business and community needs.

Student initiatives: $11 million

Credit transfer:

Students consistently cite transfer problems as one of their main concerns. Under this initiative, barriers will be removed and a coordinated policy will be established to ensure full-credit transfer for at least 12 educational programs affecting more than 75 percent of MnSCU students transferring in fall 1999. In each of the 12 program areas, a lead faculty or staff person will be assigned, for one year, to work with all involved two- and four-year institutions, coordinate necessary changes and put new policy in place.

A "truth-in-transfer" information system will be established on-line to provide students with up-to-date information on which courses will transfer and how they will be counted from one institution to another.

K-12 partnerships:

Funds will be used to establish college readiness standards in conjunction with Minnesota's graduation standards; revise and expand Minnesota's post-secondary options program to take into account the new graduation standards; to revise teacher education curriculum so that students attending state universities will be able to incorporate the state's graduation standards into their work and will have expanded opportunities to for student teaching.

Information and technology:

Revise teacher training and teacher education curriculum to make better use of technology and to teach teachers how to improve the use of technology in the classroom.

Faculty initiatives: $8 million

Faculty internships and training:

Today the private sector invests 3-5 percent of resources in staff training and development. Our colleges and universities must do the same if they are to meet the changing needs of employers. Funds will be used to provide faculty internships so that faculty members may stay current in their fields.

Share best practices:

Provide for the sharing of "best practices" in teaching methods, including use of technology in the classroom, across institutions. A best practices forum will be established and information about best practices will be made available on the Internet.

Base equalization: $12 million

Per-Student funding equalization:

The method by which funds are allocated to institutions is inequitable and generally does not provide incentives for quality and efficiency. Funding will be adjusted to provide greater equity across campuses.